Well, Hello Beautiful
by batmanfan
Summary: Rachel Dawes attends a Fundraiser thrown by Bruce Wayne but soon the Joker crashes the party and begins to terrorize the guests... including Rachel herself. The whole thing is told through Rachel's perspective. Enjoy!


_My first FanFic in a really long time! I, like so many others, fell under the spell of 'The Dark Knight' (seeing it three times; one being in IMAX) and loved one scene in particular. This is told through the eyes of Rachel during the whole Fundraiser sequence with the Joker. Hope you enjoy reading it, and be sure to review!_

* * *

Right off the bat, I'd like to say that I'm not the type of woman to stand around helpless when there may be even a small possibility that I could be doing something to help a situation. I've never been one for the 'damsel in distress' situations and I prefer to keep my personal safety under my own control. I know what you're probably thinking. Yes, sometimes it doesn't always work out that way. I have Bruce Wayne in my life. And when a man such as him, makes use of intellect, detective skills, science and technology, wealth, physical prowess, and intimidation in a war on crime in our own Gotham City it can get difficult to keep out of trouble.

All of this ran through my mind as Bruce barricaded the door from the inside of the bedroom, leaving me alone. Before he disappeared all together, I heard him growl,

"Stay hidden."

I sat there on the bed, Harvey's body sprawled out beside me. I wrestled with her conscience for a few seconds. Yes, I knew what I was about to get myself into and I knew it would be foolish and dangerous of me to leave Harvey alone while a psychopath roamed the Wayne penthouse. I sighed loudly and glanced back down at Harvey's face. He still retained his handsome features even when he lay unconscious with a stream of drool coming from his lower right mouth. Positioning his head on a pillow, it had been roughly seven minutes before I had abandoned my morals and let myself out of the room, making my way quickly and quietly down the darkened hall.

Wait. What was that?

Gunshots.

Something still made me continue forward and as I entered the brightly lit foyer, a hush had fallen over the party guests.

And then I saw him.

I had seen his pictures all over the papers in the past few weeks, and of course the now infamous video that was all over the papers, and internet. His appearance on television did not do him justice, I thought. He was much more terrifying in real life, real time as he stalked the room searching for something. Or someone, I thought. Harvey. He was looking for Harvey. I peered over the heads over the people in front of me to get a better look at him. He wasn't exactly vagrant, yet he was scruffier, grungier. But what was most intriguing about him, and the most frightening part of his appearance was his mouth. There, a Glasgow smile was carved onto his face, and he had accentuated it through white, black, and red make-up.

Slowly, I painfully made my way across the room, to the opposite side of the penthouse. I could feel my heart slamming up against my ribcage and I was terrified it would give my presence away. The last thing I needed was someone finding out that I had made an exit with Harvey. The only thing that ran through my mind was that, above all, I had to keep his location safe at all costs.

"Do you know where Harvey-- I need to talk to him about something. Just something little." The Joker waved his gun in front of someone. He received no reply. He shook his head in disappoint, moving down the row of guests. "You know I'll settle for his loved ones!" He reached for a cocktail shrimp off a nearby table, savagely tearing the head off and popping it into his mouth. "We're not intimidated by thugs!" One man said gruffly, trying his best to appear brave and confident. Oh no, I thought grimly and sure enough the response was followed by a dead silence as the Joker's face went deadpan. I could see him appraise the man before he opened his mouth to speak. "You know… You remind me of my Father."

In one swift motion, the Joker grabbed the man around the face, a large blade poised, his eyes filled with rage. "And I hated my Father." He hissed, beginning to press the knife deeper. My mind began to reel. I had to do something, but Bruce was nowhere to be found and I knew somewhere in the recesses of my brain that I was the only one who could be courageous enough to say something. The people around me were all gutless. They could watch the man die easily as long as it meant the saving of their own hides. My hands were shaking.

"Okay, stop."

I moved from my place, which had been behind a row of people. I stepped into plain-sight. I watched him release his hold on the man and take a step toward me. "Well, hello beautiful." He made a move of slicking his hair back. It would have been almost comical, contrary to the circumstance. "You must be Harvey's squeeze."

I straightened to my full height, and folded my arms, hoping it came across as bravery. He shuffled over. "And you are beautiful." It was almost an animalistic growl as he began to circle me. I did my best to return his steely gaze, and I was surprised at my own boldness. But then he started to lean in to, and I made the mistake of moving away. He came up close to me and his nostrils flared as if he could smell my fear. "You look nervous. Is it the scars?" He seemed almost apologetic. He reached for me. "Wanna know how I got em'? Come here."

I could smell his scent as he drew closer.

With the knife in his right hand, he used both hands to grab onto my face, the blade pressing into my cheek. I tried to twist out of his grasp, fear jolting through my body, with no success. I was breaking into a panic now. I tried again to pull away. "Look at me!" he hissed into my ear, pulling my face toward his. I had stopped struggling. My eyes examined the knife in front of me. Meanwhile, his red lips curled back, revealing rows of yellow teeth.

"So I had a wife, beautiful, like you, who tells me I worry too much. Who tells me I oughta smile more! Who gambles and gets in deep with the Sharks." I could feel the color draining from my face. I attempted to wrench myself away from his grasp. He pulled me back, this time more firmly than before. He licked his lips and continued the story, as if he were my own Mother and I was his child whom he was telling a bedtime story to. "One day they carve her face. We have no money for surgeries. She can't take it. I just want to see her smile again, hmm? I just want her to know I don't care about the scars. So I stick a razor in my mouth and do this," he traced the pattern of his own scars with the knife. "to myself. And you know what? She can't stand the sight of me!" His voice began to crack, as he became more enraged with his own recollection. I had no idea if what he was saying was true, but I still managed to hold his gaze. He shook my head. "She leaves. Now I see the funny side." He released me and took a step back, a large grin on his face. "Now I see the funny side. Now I'm always smiling!"

This was my chance. Clenching my fist, I mustered up all the strength I had and hit him in the stomach. He doubled over but stood straight again with another big smile. I took a step back. He giggled. "A little fight in you. I like that." His eyes flashed as he raised his knife. I was unaware of the fact that I had been holding my breath.

"Then you're going to love me."

Batman lunged forward, his fist colliding with the Joker's face. He flew backward and landed on the marble floor as his henchmen rushed forward but were instantly taken out by Bruce. I stared in awe. He was incredibly agile as took down one after the other. But my eyes grew wide as one man grabbed Bruce from behind and the Joker tapped the floor with his foot and my eyes widened with horror as a glint of steel was ejected from the toe. He laid a heavy kick on Bruce but went flying backwards from a strong kick to the face. My eyes traveled from Bruce to the barrel of the gun pointed right at my face. He grabbed me with his right hand, and raised the machine gun up in the air.

Bruce had finished with the men by that time, and stood facing us.

"Drop the gun."

The Joker laughed again. He shook me roughly, placing a tight stranglehold on me. "Oh sure, you just take off your little mask and show us all who you really are." I looked up at Bruce, and quickly shook my head in desperation. He began to drag me back until we stood right up against the back wall of the Penthouse which was made entirely of glass. I couldn't take my eyes off of Bruce. But then I heard the fire rounds, the shattering glass, and in one impressive move, the Joker pushed me through the gaping hole.

My stomach dropped.

The cool evening air rushed around me, and I began to fall. My mouth opened in a scream, but the Joker's hand clamped down on my arm. I hung by a thread, my heels touching air.

I whimpered.

Something I hadn't done since I was a child. I thought of Harvey. I thought of his marriage proposal. I thought of myself and how I had broken the promise I made to Bruce. I had never intended to keep that promise. I knew he would never be able to step out of his world, of his lifestyle. Gotham would always need him. I needed stability, and security and love. But my thoughts were broken by Bruce's snarl.

"Let her go."

The Joker laughed manically and stopped long enough to catch his breath. I could already feel his grip loosening.

"Very poor choice of words!"

I was falling.

I barely had time to scream when I hit the sloping roof. Frantically, I began slapping my hands against the glass, hoping in vain to slow myself just enough. The surface was to smooth for me to find any purchase on anything. Another body had hit the roof above me and I watched Bruce slide toward me. But I had come to the edge.

My head went down first, and the rest of my body followed as I tumbled off the building face down. The ground was rushing up at me with incredible speed. Wind was blowing into my eyes so hard it hurt. I screamed all the way down.

A strong arm wrapped around my waist just a few feet from the ground. Hysterical, frightened, and prepared for the worst, I clamped my eyelids shut and held on to whatever was holding me and waited for the pavement to strike.

We crash landed onto a parked vehicle, glass exploding around us. Bruce had hit first, his armor absorbing most of the impact. I was panting as I rolled out from his cape and down onto the hood of the car. Bruce was breathing heavy. "Are you okay?" I looked him the eyes. I would have found the comment humorous if it had been a different time and place.

"Let's not do that again. Is Harvey okay?"

Bruce nodded slowly. I paused, looking back into his eyes. I had no idea what to say. He looked at me expectantly as if waiting for something. Instead, I slumped back against the car, closing my eyes.

"Thank you." I whispered.


End file.
